Oman risks US strike after Strait of Hormuz deal with Iran
Oman risks US military action after reaching a preliminary agreement with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Muscat if the Gulf state obstructs Washington’s push to fully…
Source: Associated Press · August 18, 2026 at 4:34 AM · AI-assisted report
CorroboratedWASHINGTON, 18 AUGUST 2026 —
Oman risks US military action after reaching a preliminary agreement with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Muscat if the Gulf state obstructs Washington’s push to fully restore shipping through the waterway.
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Iran said it had reached an understanding with Oman to finalise a transit plan for the strait, which carries about a fifth of the world’s traded oil. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route,” though he provided no further details.
The deal would reportedly allow ships to enter via a route close to Iran and exit near Oman without paying fees or tolls during an interim period.
The U.S. has made fully reopening the strait a key demand before it lifts its blockade of Iranian ports, imposed after Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran in February. Trump told Fox News that the U.S. would “bomb” Oman if it “gets in the way,” using profanity for emphasis. In May, he warned reporters during a Cabinet meeting that “Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up.”
The threat escalates regional tensions as a 60-day negotiating period to broker a U.S.-Iran peace deal expires without progress. Trump dismissed the deadline as irrelevant and said the U.S. maintains a backchannel with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to Fox News reporter Trey Yingst, who did not provide audio of the interview.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged Iran and the U.S. to resume talks, warning there was “no military solution” to the conflict. His spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres also called for both sides to “lower the rhetoric.”
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed they attacked a ship and four military boats in the Red Sea near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Monday. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the vessels, which they alleged belonged to Saudi Arabia, were hit with ballistic missiles, causing them to capsize and burn. Saudi Arabia has not commented, and the AP could not independently verify the claim.
Separately, two officials in northern Iraq were targeted in drone attacks launched from the Iranian border. One struck the office of Masrour Barzani, prime minister of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, and another hit the home of a top regional intelligence official. There were no casualties, and no group has claimed responsibility. Barzani called the attack “a dangerous escalation” and a threat to regional stability.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi distanced Tehran from the incident, saying on social media that nothing justified the attack on Barzani. He warned Kurdish leaders to be “vigilant against false-flag ploys to sow discord between neighbors.”
U.S. forces in the Kurdish region of Iraq have begun withdrawing ahead of a September 30 deadline agreed with Baghdad to end their military presence.
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